The Harvard men's basketball team proved last night that it is one of the best basketball teams in Beantown.

A week after defeating Northeastern by 23 points, the Crimson (3-2) knocked off a cross-town rival, crushing Boston University 76-60 last night at Lavietes Pavilion.

Draining three-point baskets at will, Harvard dismissed B.U. with ease, going up by as much as 26 points in the second half. A surge late in the game brought the Terriers (3-2) to within seven points, but they never threatened after that.

Harvard started the game on fire and had amassed a 20-point lead nine minutes into the game. B.U., playing after a ten-day rest, looked lost, constantly turning the ball over on bad passes and offensive fouls. Guards Drew Gellert and Elliott Prasse-Freeman applied pressure to B.U.'s young ballhandlers, forcing them to make tough interior passes that Harvard was easily able to pick off.

On the offensive end, Harvard had the hot hand. Prasse-Freeman, who has not been one of the team's offensive leaders this season, hit five three-pointers in the first half alone. Combined with outside shooting from Gellert and captain Dan Clemente, the Crimson shot a blazing 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from behind the arc in the first half.

"Certainly to see those kinds of threes from Elliott is unusual," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. "They were there-- he took [them]. It gave us a lot of momentum early in the game because it was totally unexpected."

The Crimson players were equally surprised.

"Threes were just popping up," sophomore guard Pat Harvey said. "We got a lot of good shooters on this team, and they're going to shoot when open."